Poker is a card game that requires strategy and a lot of mental discipline to win. A good poker player will know the proper limits and games for their bankroll, but they also need to have the ability to read other players. They must have patience and the ability to deal with aggression at the table. They will also understand the concept of pot odds and percentages.

Each betting round begins with a player placing one or more chips into the pot. The players to the left must either call that bet by putting in the same amount of chips, raise it, or drop out of the hand. If they drop out, they cannot return to the hand until the next dealing.

A player can also “check” if they do not want to place any chips into the pot. If the person to their right has raised, they can call that raise to stay in the hand. Lastly, a player can fold if they do not have a strong hand or are not comfortable with the current pot size.

A great poker player will be able to read their opponents and exploit the mistakes they make. They will not be afraid to be aggressive in the right hands, but they will only play aggressively when their odds of winning are high. They will also understand the concept of correct action, which is playing a certain way for a particular reason, divorced from the outcome of that action.